Self-heating soldering-iron.



G, J. 'GLAUT1GB. SELF HEATING soLDBmNG IRON; APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1913. 1,192,997. Patented July 7, 1914.

ame/Wto@ THE MORRIS PETERS CDT,A PHOTO-LTHO., wsHlNmN, D. C.

NETE STATES FATF FFlQldl.

GEORGE J. CLAUTICE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LYON, CONKLIN 6cCOMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

senr-HEATING sonnmNG-Iaon.

Application led June 30, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, GEORGE J. CLAUTICE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSelf-Heating Soldering-Irons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in soldering irons of that classin which the copper or solder iron point is heated by the flame of gasproduced from fluid stored in a chamber attached to the iron.

The present invention comprises several features of improvement that areembodied in one soldering iron structure and which will first bedescribed and then pointed out in the claims. llhese features areillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a side view of the improved solder applying tool. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section of the principal parts of the tool. Fig. 3 is avertical cross-section on the line 3-8 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the preliminary heater device. Fig. 5 is a sectionview of the burner head on a larger scale. Fig. 6 is a section View ofthe split spring bushing of wood handle.

Referring to the drawing the numeral, l, designates the chamber orreservoir in which the fluid hydro-carbon is carried or stored; thevalve-casing, 2, has an internally screw-threaded coupling, 22, withwhich a pipe, 28, connects to a handle part, 3, that is attached to thesaid reservoir, l. A gas-discharge nozzle, 24, is integral with thevalvecasing, 2, and a passage, 5, in this nozzle leads from thegas-generating chamber, 6, to the small aperture, 7, that opens into theend of the mixing tube, 4. The gas escapes from the small aperture, 7into the mixing tube, and the flow of gas is controlled by a needle orcone-pointed valve, 8, whose port communicates with the gas-generatingchamber, 6, and the said passage, 5.

rlhe nozzle, 24, has at its discharge end a screw-cap, 25, which takesover the end, and the small gas-escape aperture, 7, is in4 this cap; thecap partly forms a chamber, 26, in the nozzle and the said passage, 5,terminates in this chamber. A cone-shaped diaphragm, 27, has a closedapex and side perforations and is in the chamber in alinement betweenthe end of gas passage, 5, and the aperture, 7, which latter is so verysmall Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, NH4.

Serial No. 776,489.

that the least particle of matter will obstruct it.

The cone-shaped diaphragm is sti enough to permanently retain its shapeand resist the effects of the high degree of heat, and the perforationsallow the hot gas to pass. l have found that wire gauze alone does notpractically answer this purpose. The perforated sheet-metal cone-shapeddiaphragm prevents small particles of oxid, dirt, or other foreignmatter, from passing with the gas and choking or obstructing the smallgas-escape aperture, 7, and rendering the soldering iron inoperative, asis so common in this class of device. A flat dislr, 28, of very finewire gauze may be used, however, in Contact with the inner circular faceof the cap, 25, which face sustains the flimsy gauze; the wire gauzeinternally covers the small escape aperture, 7. When this flat gauzedisk, 28, is burnt or choked by accumulation of particles, its flatshape and location renders it easy tobe renewed.

rlhe mixino tube, 4, has at its side adjacent the valve-case, 2,air-inlets, 9, through which the outside atmosphere may enter to theinterior of the said tube. When the metal parts of the valve-case,gas-discharge nozzle and mixing tube have been heated so as to generategas, and the valve, 8, has been turned to open its port, then gas underpressure from the chamber, 6, will issue from the small aperture, 7,into the tube, 4, and the air and gas will mix while passing forward tothe relatively large combustion chamber, l0. The circular wall of thecombustion chamber has numerous holes, l1, from which will issue flamesand hot products of combustion that surround the exterior of said wall.rlhe end of the combustion chamber, l0, directly opposite the end of themixing tube, 4, is closed by the copper or solder-applying point, 20.

An exterior guard sleeve, 12, surrounds the air-inlets, 9, of the mixingtube and forms an annular space, 13; at one end this space is closed andone or more screws, 14, at such end confine the sleeve; but at theopposite end, 15, the said sleeve and annular space are open-the openend being nearest the valve case, 2. The closed end of the sleeve isnear the inlets, 9, and said sleeve covers but does not close theinlets. The atmospheric air enters the open end, l5, of the sleeve andmoves forward to the inlets, 9,

then passes through said inlets to the interior of the mixing-tube, 4,where the hot gas is present, the gas that has escaped from theaperture, 7, and finally both air and gas mix while passing along` thetube, 4, to the chamber, 10, where combustion takes place and the flamesand hot products of combustion will heat the solder-applying point, 20.

When soldering tools of this character are used where there is anexposure to the wind, the heat and flames issuing from the holes, 11, ofthe combustion chamber instead of heating the solder-applying point, 20,are blown off sidewise and such heat is lost in the atmosphere; to avoidthis I provide a directing sleeve, 17, large enough to exteriorlysurround the cylindric wall of the combustion chamber, 10, and form anannular space, 18, into which all the holes, 11, open. At the end nextto the soldering point, 20, the said annular space is open, but at theother end, nearest the mixing tube, said space is closed; a screw, 19,serves to confine the sleeve and keep it from movement. The operation ofthis sleeve, 17, is most advantageous in its results of apply* ing thehot products of combustion directly to the copper or soldering iron, 20.The heat and flames that issue from the holes, 11, enter the annularspace, 18, and then are directed forward onto and completely around thesoldering iron, 20, which is thereby well heated; by this devi-ce noheat is lost in the atmosphere.

It is desirable in order to start the generation of gas in aself-heating soldering iron, that means should be attached to the ironfor preliminarily heating the valve-case, 2, the gas-discharge nozzle,24, and the tube, 4, wherein air and gas are mixed. I provide a deviceto accomplish this end, and that will also serve as a supporting foot tohold the tool in a certain definite position when it is temporarilyawaiting use.

The improved heater consists of a tube, 29, having at one end ayscrew-threaded neck, 30, open at its end and smaller in diameter thanthe body of the tube and having the opposite end, 31, closed butprovided with a small outlet, 32, serving for gas to escape to produce ajet-flame; near its closed end this tube is provided with two feet, 33,which serve as supports. The valve-case, 2, below the chamber, 6, has adownward-extending portion provided with a screw-threaded socket, 48,that receives the neck, 30, of the heater tube. This downward portion isprovided with a segmentshaped cup, 37, one side of which projectslaterally and forward of the said socket, like a bracket, and has itsconcave edge upward.

When the heater-tube neck, 30, is screwed into the socket, 48, thecylindric exterior surface of the heater tube near its said neck restson the concave edge of the segmentshaped cup, 37, and the latter servesto brace and sustain the heater tube,

A hole or air-inlet, 35, is in the heater tube directly above thesegment cup, 37, and the latter will receive any fluid that mayaccidentally Overflow from said hole.

It will be seen the heater tube, 29, is not only in proper position forheatingthe desired parts of the soldering iron but its feet, 33, willrest on a work table or other resting place and will sustain the heatedtool while it is temporarily awaiting use.

At the outset of preparing to heat this iron the chamber, 6, willcontain the hydrocarbon fluid that is to produce the gas; this fluidcomes from the reservoir, 1, and linds its way through a pipe, 23, intosaid chamber, 6. A cross passage, 36, see Figs. 2 and 3, leads from thechamber, 6, to the entrance end, 30, of the said hea-ter tube. .n

It is unimportant what the precise interior construction of the entranceend of the heater tube may be to permit either fluid or gas to pass fromthe neck, 30, into the chamber of said heater tube, but a constructionis shown in the sectional view Fig. 2, of the drawing that serves thispurpose; here the neck, 30, is partly separated from the chamber of thetube by a partition whose center is provided with a small hole orpassage, indicated in black; this hole permits the fuel to pass into thechamber of the Aheater tube.

A valve, 38, has a cone-point end and a screw-thread, and the stem-endof the valve is bent at a right-angle, 39; this stem-,end has a notch,40, on two opposite sides. By turning this valve-stem one way the screwwill advance the cone-point and close the outlet port to the crosspassage, 36, and cutoff the flow of fluid into the heater tube, 29; byturning the right-angle stem, 39, the re verse way the screw will causethe point to recede and open the said cross-passage- In this way thevalve, 38, controls fluid that may pass to the heater tube, 29.

The gas controlling valve, 8, in the case, 2, has a stuffing boX,v41,and a point that closes the port leading from gas chamber, 6, to thepassage, 5, and the valve is screw-threaded: the stem, 42, of this valveis also bent at right angles to the screw-threaded-part, and like theother valve stem has two notches.

The heater tube, 29, will be carried by the iron, and the stems of twovalves, 8, and, 38, will project, I have therefore provided that onehandle shall serve for both valve# stems. The handle, 43, consists ofwood or other non-heat conducting material; this handle has a bore thatcontains a tube or split spring bushing, 44; the two longitudinal slits,45, that extend from one end only give to this end an expansion andcontractive character. Each split end ,has at its .extremity an inturnedcatch point, 46, that is adapted to engage with the two notches, 40, onthe right-angled end of' either valve. The catch points, 46, of thesplit tube project a little from the wood handle, and said points engagethe notches and thus hold on the valve stem.

vWhen heating the iron parts the handle 43 will be used on the stem, 39;when the parts have had their preliminary heating, the handle, 432 maybe pulled off this valvestem and stuck on the valve-stem, 42.

In the operation of this device, the reservoir, l, contains gasolene orother gas-producing fluid, and the pump, 47, is to be used to produce anair-pressure that will maintain a supply of fluid through the tube, 23,to the chamber, 6. The valve, 8, closes against such pressure and whenclosed no pressure exists on the valve-stem and its packing in thestuihng box, 4l, and consequently there will be no leakage at this boxof gas or fluid when the soldering iron is not being used. Thisadvantage is also secured by the structure of the second valve, 38.

"When about to use the iron, the wood handle, 43, should be slipped onto the valvestem, 39, and fluid allowed to flow into the heater tube,29. This fluid is then lighted by using a match and very soon thevalve-case, 2, gas-discharge nozzle, 24, and mixing tube, 4, will be hotenough to generate gas. Then the handle, 43, will be transferred fromvalve-stem, 39, to the valve-stem, 42, of the other valve, 8. Uponopening valve, 8, the gas will escape from aperture, 7, and may belighted at the open end of space, 18.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is l. The combination in a self-heated soldering iron ofa valve-case having in its lowermost part a screw-threaded socket; agasdischarge nozzle; an air-and-gas mixing tube one end of which coversthe said nozzle; and a heater tube parallel with and below the saidnozzle and mixing tube and provided along its length with jet-flameholes and having an open screw-neck which is coupled into saidscrew-threaded socket.

2. The combination in a self-heated soldering iron of an air and gasmixing tube, 4; a gas-discharge nozzle connected with one end of saidtube; a valve-case connected to said gas-discharge nozzle and providedat its lower part with a socket that opens at the side-said three partsbeing in horizontal alinement; a horizontal heater-tube below the saidthree parts and having a screw threaded neck, 30, coupling into saidsocket and said tube provided with feet, 33.

3. The combination in a self-heated soldering iron of an air-and-gasmixing tube; a gas-discharge nozzle; a valve-case having a downwardextending portion provided at its side with a socket-opening, 48; aheater tube having one end entered into said socket-opening and the bodyof the tube extending horizontally, and a segment-shaped cup having oneof its sides attached to said downward portion of the valve-case and theother side of the cup projecting laterally and forward of said socketwith its concave edge upward and contacting with the heater tube andserving to brace and sustain thelatter.

4. The combination in a self-heated soldering iron of an air-and-gasmixing tube; a gas-discharge nozzle; a heater tube to preliminarily heatsaid parts; a valve-case provided with a gas-passage leading to thegasdischarge nozzle, and a fluid-passage leading to the heater tube; avalve in said case to control the'fiow of gas, and a second valve in thesame case to control the flow of the liquid; and a tubular-shaped handleof nonheat conducting material to engage the stems of either of saidvalves and open or close same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE J. CLAUTICE.

Witnesses G. FERD. Voer, Louis C. KLERLEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, '.D. C.

